Thumbs up, thumbs down

January 30, 1998

To Nicole Ruble and Manieka Green, for becoming youngest-ever members of Jefferson County's FOCUS Coalition, a community group opposing illegal drug use.

To David Bragunier, for personally donating $1,000 to the Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum, in honor of his father, who was foreman of the yard from 1966 to 1974. What a fine memorial to a respected craftsman.

To the Berkeley County, W.Va. official who forgot to notify the victim of a racial hate crime of a court date this past Monday. Now to convict, the state must ask the grand jury to indict.

To the national news organizations taking unconfirmed reports on the president's alleged sexual misbehavior from web sites and unreliable sources and running it as news. What's next, reporting men's room graffiti?

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To every citizen who decries the media's coverage of the Clinton scandal, even while devouring every word and sound bite. Nobody wants to admit they're curious about sex, but many are.

To Maryland Republicans whining about Senate President "Mike" Miller's plans to share his campaign war chest with fellow Democrats. May we take that as a promise not to do the same when the balance shifts to the GOP?

To the Maryland Senate, for its proposal to require schools to teach students about the Irish potato famine. Micromanaging schools is the wrong job for the legislature to be doing.

To Chambersburg Mall officials, for their new policy requiring 16-and-under teens to be accompanied by a parent on Friday and Saturday nights. There's nothing like a parent's presence to inspire teens to go elsewhere.

To the Washington County Convention and Visitors' Bureau, for insisting on a tourism logo that represents local Civil War history. We've got to play to our strengths.

To Maryland Del. Anita Stup, R-Washington/Frederick, for her persistence in trying to win passage of a milk pricing bill that could mean the difference between profitability and bankruptcy for Maryland's dairy farmers.